Why Les Rencontres Européennes de Luxembourg?
Since 1945, it has been clear that a united Europe is needed.
The most senseless of wars and the dissolution of the European Empires that had ruled the world for four and a half centuries have created new economic and military balances of power. Faced with the USA, China, Russia and the emerging powers, Europe can only hold its own if it intelligently pools all the human, political, financial, scientific and cultural resources of its states.
In fact, in this still disorientated, unstable and dangerous world, Europe can be a model to follow. As a defender of freedom, the rule of law and social solidarity, with a wealth of happy and disastrous experiences to draw on, Europe is an example to billions of people living in difficult conditions in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
But we Europeans know how far away we are from the possible.
So there is always a need for clear-sighted citizens to meet and discuss fundamental problems and solutions, and to develop and disseminate ideas and concepts effectively in a complex political, cultural and linguistic context.
The Luxembourg initiative, launched 25 years ago, is part of this patient approach.
Conçues pour faire avancer les choses tant soit peu, mais inexorablement, les Rencontres europĂ©ennes de Luxembourg permettent d’examiner vivement des points qui peuvent exaspĂ©rer ou fâcher. Leurs objectifs : encourager des Ă©changes ouverts et pluridisciplinaires Ă l’Ă©chelle europĂ©enne ; stimuler le dĂ©veloppement de dĂ©bats Ă©thiques, sociaux et politiques sur l’avenir de la (ou des) sociĂ©tĂ©(s) europĂ©enne(s).
The organisation
Les Rencontres Européennes de Luxembourg is an open, independent association run by a team of volunteers.
Chaque annĂ©e, un comitĂ© de coordination a pour mission d’organiser un colloque (traditionnellement le troisième samedi du mois d’octobre) sur un thème de travail spĂ©cifique. A chaque fois, plus d’une centaine de participants, de pays et d’horizons diffĂ©rents, viennent dĂ©battre avec des intervenants venus du Luxembourg, de France, de Belgique, de Suisse, mais aussi d’Espagne, d’Italie, d’Allemagne, de Suède, des États-Unis, d’AlgĂ©rie, du Maroc, d’IsraĂ«l… Ces intervenants, acteurs et penseurs – Ă©lus, journalistes, scientifiques, reprĂ©sentants du monde de l’entreprise et de l’administration, universitaires…, animent les dĂ©bats, dans un souci du respect de l’autre, de la complĂ©mentaritĂ© de chacun, apportant tour Ă tour une pierre Ă l’édifice europĂ©en que nous construisons tous ensembles.
The Rencontres have also developed a number of 'tools' to ensure a wider audience:
- The "Club des Amis des Rencontres" brings together people from all geographical and philosophical backgrounds who wish to support the Rencontres européennes de Luxembourg, both financially and through their work in the run-up to the conference.
- The Rencontres website http://www.relux.lu is designed to communicate both the preparatory discussions and the conclusions of the work. The history of work from previous years is currently being transferred from the old site to the new one, to make it accessible to as many people as possible.